The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was surveying sites for the installation of a new ASR11 Antenna to serve the air traffic control system at Reno/Tahoe International Airport in Nevada. The FAA and local authorities, including Reno/Tahoe International Airport, required a complete feasibility study.

This study included environmental considerations such as view impacts. It would consider a number of tower locations and address visual impact concerns from specific areas. POITRA was selected to provide the graphics support for the project. POITRA created a series of photosimulations for the canidate tower sites in Reno near the airport.

Take a closer look! The ASR11 radar antenna and tower was created by POITRA modelers. (click to magnify)

Mouse-over images above to toggle between the existing photo and the photosimulation.

POITRA photographers made excellent photographs representing the three important view sheds for Site 7. Each would be used as base photographs for photosimulations of the site.

POITRA modelers created a detailed 3D model of the ASR11 Radar Antenna and the proposed 76ft tall tower. An equipment building, site fencing and gates from POITRA model libraries were also used to create the site model for each site. The Reno/Tahoe 7 site model was camera matched to the Corporate Boulevard North base photograph, lighted and rendered. The renders were then composited to the base photograph and traditional digital painting methods used to finish the simulations.

The project called for the antennas to be painted international orange.

POITRA had prior experience specifically with airport radar towers and antennas and easily understood the plans for the various components.

Graphic artists at POITRA marked the tower locations to make the simulations into figures for the study document. POITRA also created graphic map figures that identified the tower site options and the view shed locations for both sites.

All of the POITRA figures appeared in the final study document and visually complimented the high quality of the rest of the document.

Take a Closer Look! POITRA graphic artists can help explain your project by creating professional location maps for reports or displays. (click to magnify)